Boyhood (2014) Film Review.
The coming of age genre, it can span over a couple of hours (Breakfast Club) or take over 12 years to film. Boyhood is not just a technical and creative achievement it is a life experience. It tackles a period of life that is hard to reproduce in this medium and the cinematic experiment has paid off.
This film is no three act structure, it is a series of event, tracking the progression of boy/man Mason Evans (Ellar Coltrane), while the film also tracks the lives of his mother (Patrica Arquette), who struggles being a single mother while studying. His sister, (Loreli Linklater) and his father (Ethan Hawke) who sees his kids over the weekends.
Boyhood is an engrossing experience, pack with moments that we have all shared, maybe not all but there will be big life moments that we have encountered, your first beer, having the talk with your parents etc. The reason why no other film can pull you in and re-experience it, is because this film you are growing up with the actors. You first see a boy, young and free, grow to a man, scared of the future. This journey, a full three hours, contains a genuine evolution of exploration and knowledge.
This is a unique experience and probably will never be repeated again. Filled with pop culture references and nods to past fads. Boyhood is a film that puts the audience in a position of recollection. A realisation of 12 years that has past. It is filled with moments of smiles, joys but also horror.
I hate calling it an experiment but it did have a huge risk, to work at something for 12 years and it to flop would of been a tragedy. There are some critics that will criticise this film to go against the grain. They need to re-evaluate themselves, because for a film critics to slander a project with so much passion and heart. This is what film is about and any cinema fan should be ashamed to cast this away.
Boyhood is the seminal reason why I love film. Richard Linklater had an idea. Even though it sounds ludicrous, he stepped up and made it. Great performances and commitment to all that was involved. This is not just one of the best film of the year, this is one of the best films I have ever seen.
